In brand strategy, consistency is key.
Regardless of what you choose for your logo, color palette, or ideal client, branding your business will only work if you use the same elements over and over and over again. Be like a broken record. Or like a parent of young kids—nothing you say one time computes. You have to repeat yourself until you’re blue in the face. Kinda like branding.
Establish your visual brand identity and voice, and then predictably stick to them. Stay true to your brand colors, fonts, photography style, and messaging across all of your brand’s digital and physical touchpoints.
But WHY? What's the big deal about staying consistent?
Well, let's put it this way: When someone repeatedly sees your uniquely-recognizable visuals and messaging, over time you'll have "branded" your business into their psyche. (See what I did there?) Continuous steady and dependable impressions of your brand will make someone feel like they know you. As a result, they'll feel comfortable and confident enough to inquire, buy from you, or book with you.
You know those times you encounter a graphic or ad...and without even seeing a logo you know EXACTLY who that graphic or ad belongs to? Whether it’s the colors they use, the fonts they use, the tone of voice, or the style of photography...you can pinpoint the brand immediately. You just know. That’s the result of brand consistency.
The goal here is to become instantly recognizable » which will eventually make you familiar » which will in turn build trust. Because consistency builds trust, right? You hire a new babysitter and you’re a bit iffy at the beginning, but as she continues to show up...day after day...always on time and on top of things...after a while you give her your credit card, pin number, front door code, car keys, and hand over your first-born child without even blinking an eye. Now that’s trust.
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The familiarity, likability, and trust that's gained through consistency is what branding is all about.
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But if your visual brand and messaging are all over the place? You LITERALLY have to start from square one and reintroduce your brand every single time you show up. There's no automatic recognition. No "knowing it's you" at a glance. Which makes it much more likely that your ideal client will just keep scrolling on by...
People buy from people they know, like, and trust. Showing up consistently builds awareness, recognition, warm-and-fuzzy feelings, and finally (you guessed it) TRUST.
Do you want to build a consistent, trust-worthy brand? Download my freebie PDF: The Small Business Branding Checklist. It covers all the elements of your branding you'll need to lock down, as well as all of the different brand touchpoints you'll want to use those elements. Over and over (and over) again.
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